Driving mechanism.



Patanted Sept. 25, 1900'. C. D. P. GIBSON.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Dec. 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

9Q NM 9 \K QQ #N ma 3 N QQ QN M m mfi m w .w k Q mw H 33 Q N QT N QM QN WM? -i$ O O 0 Ti 0 @i a 5 0 am 1M mm Q WITNESSES ATTORNEY PEYIRS PATENT CHARLES DAVID PAIGE GIBSON, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

DRIVING MECHANISM.-

SiECiFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,544. dated September 25, 1900.

Application filed December 11, 1899. Serial No. 739,916. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, CHARLES DAviD PAIGE GIBSON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Jersey City, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to driving mechanisms such as may be employed on self-propelled vehicles and other machines which require a compact, but powerful apparatus for this purpose.

The preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which is shown a central section of the mechanism.

The main shaft 1 is journaled at either end in pillow-blocks 2 and 3 and at intermediate points in other pillow-blocks 4, 5, and 6. At either end of the shaft 1 provide end thrustbearings, preferably in the form of caps 7 and 8. The ends of the shaft may be provided with bearing-rings 9 and 10, these rings and the caps 7 and 8 being grooved for the reception of ball-bearings 11 and 12. Power is transmitted to the shaft from any prime mover or other source of power (not shown) by a sprocket-wheel l3 and sprocket-chain 14 or by a second sprocket-wheel l5 and sprocketchain 16, or by both. I propose two such connections, intending to operate them alternately from gears running at different speeds. A sleeve 17 is fitted on the main shaft 1 and is normally free to turn or slide thereon. It has a concave flange 18, which fits over the convex face 19 of one of the sprocket-wheels, as 15, or of some other wheel or disk rigidly keyed to the shaft 1. On the other end of the sleeve 17 is keyed a gear-wheel 20, from which the power may be taken off by a gearwheel 21, meshing therewith, or by any other form of gearing.

One of the intermediate pillow-blocks 5 has an internal screw-thread out or cast in it, and the corresponding journal-bearing 22 has a similar exterior thread meshing therewith. Between the abutting faces of the journalbearing 22 and the sleeve 17 or gear-wheel 2O thereon I preferably place ball-bearings 23. Between the opposite face of the journal-bearing 22and loose gear-wheel 27 I also runsto any conveniently-mounted handwheel. (Notshown) The loose gear wheel or disk 27 last referred to has a concave face which corresponds to and cooperates with a convex face on the disk 28 of opposite inclination to that of the face 19 of the gear wheel or disk 15 first referred to. This last disk 28 is also keyed to shaft 1. A counter-shaft 30 has a gear-wheel 29, meshing with gear-wheel 27. This counter-shaft is journaled in independent bearings 31 and 32. The counter-shaft carries a pinion 33, meshing with a loose gear-wheel 34, mounted on the sleeve 17. This loose gear-wheel has a coned ring 35, which cooperates with a concave face on the flange or gear-wheel 20, which is keyed to the sleeve 17, as before described, or which is otherwise rigidly attached thereto. Another intermediate pillow-block 6 is similarlyprovided with a threaded journal-bearing 37, between which and the loose gear 34is another ball-bearing 36. A sprocketwheel 38 and chain 39 are also provided for rotating this journal-bearing 37. A loose gear 40 is mounted on the main shaft on the opposite side of the rigid disk 28, before described, and corresponding cone-faces are provided between said disk 28 and loose gear 40. These may be forced into contact by a' ball-bearing 41, threaded j ournal-bearing 42, sprocket-wheel 43, and chain 44, as before described." This loose gear 40 meshes with an idler-pinion 45 on a short shaft 46, and this idler-pinion meshes also with a pinion 47 on the counter-shaft 30.

Such being the construction and arrangement of parts, the operation of the invention is as follows: Motion is'transmitted to the shaft 1 through one of the sprocket-chains 'by means of its sproket-wheel and chain 25 and 26 in a direction to cause it to shift to the left, the sleeve 17 on the main shaft 1 will be also forced to the left, and its coned flange 18 will be forced into engagement with the coned face 19 on one of the sprocketwheels 15. This will lock the sleeve to the shaft and it will rotate with it, the ball-bearings 23 reducing the friction between the abutting faces of the journal-bearing 22 and the gear-wheel 20, keyed to the sleeve. This gear-wheel 20 will then rotate at the same speed as the shaft 1, and motion will be transmitted to the driven gear 21 at full speed. If slower speed is desired, the threaded journal-bearing 22 is rotated in the opposite direction. This forces it toward the right and first breaks the connection between the coned faces 18 and 19. Further movement to the 1 right forces the coned face on the gear 27.into

engagement with the left-hand coned face on the double-coned disk 28 and locks these two clutch elements together. Motion is then transmitted through this gear-wheel 27 and the counter-shaft 30 and gears thereon to the loose gear'wheel 34, mounted on the sleeve 17. Rotation of the journal-bearing 37 of this sleeve in a direction to produce motion to the right forces the loose gear-wheel 34 and its coned ring 35 also to the right. Engagement between this coned ring 35 and the coned face of gear-Wheel 20, keyed on the sleeve 17, conveys motion to the said gear-wheel 20 in the same direction as before, but at a slower speed. This slower motion in the same direction is transmitted to the driven gear 21. If reverse motion is desired, the journal-bearing22isreturnedtoitsmiddleposition,(shown in the drawings,) thus leaving the sleeve 17 and the loose pulley 27 both free of engagement with the main shaft 1. The journalbearing 37 mustbe turned back slightly to allow the loose gear-wheel 34: and gear-Wheel 20 on the sleeve to move a corresponding distance to the left, still retaining the engagement of the coned clutch-faces. The third intermediate threaded journal-bearing 4:2 is then rotated,s0 as to force the loose gear-wheel 40, located on the right side of the doubleconed disk 28, to the left and into engagement with said disk. The motion of'the main shaft 1 is then transmitted through the idlerpinion 45 and pinion 47 on the counter-shaft 30 to said counter-shaft, rotating the countershaft in a direction similar to that of the main shaft. This motion is transmitted and reversed through theother pinion 33 on the counter-shaft and the loose gear 34 on the sleeve 17 to the gear 20 (rigid on said sleeve) by reason of the engagement of the coned clutch-faces. The reverse motion is then transmitted from the last gear 20 to the driven gear 21.

The advantages of my invention reside'in its compactness. Nearly all the elements of the mechanism are arranged concentrically about the main shaft. The use of the screw mechanism for forcing the clutch-faces into engagement gives great power with smooth ness of action, and in case the clutch slips under added load the clutch-faces can be forced into still closer engagement up to a point which will transmit the entire power which the prime mover is capableof giving out. The ball-bearings remove all sources of friction, and the arrangement by which the clutch-faces in the train of mechanism producing one speed are only thrown into gear when those transmitting motion at a different speed are thrown out of gear forms an automatic check against a locking or breaking of the gearing by the coupling up at the same time of trains of mechanism transmitting motion at different speeds.

It is evident,of course,that various changes could be made in the details of construction illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention so long as the principle of operation described in the speci fication or the relative arrangement of the elements of the various combinations illus- Diifei trated in the drawings is preserved. ent forms of gearing might be substituted for those shown, and the form of the cooperating clutch-faces might be varied. Other rue-ans of rotating the threaded journal-bearings might be substituted; but all such changes I should consider mere modifications of my invention and still within the boundaries thereof.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the shaft, the clutch member rigid with the shaft, the cooperating loose clutch member concentric with the shaft but free to slide and turn thereon, the pillowblock having a screw-thread cut therein, the journal-bearing for the shaft having a screwthread meshing with the thread cut in the pillow-block in which the journal-bearing is mounted, means for rotating said journalbearing and means whereby its movement along the line of the axis of the shaft produced by such rotation is transmitted to the loose clutch member.

2. The combination of the shaft, the clutch member rigid with the shaft, the cooperating loose clutch member concentric with the shaft but free to slide and turn thereon, the pillowblock having a screw-thread cut therein, the journal-bearing for the shaft having a screwthread meshing with the thread cut in the pillow-block in which the journal-bearing is mounted, means for rotating said journalbearing and ball-bearings between the end of the journal-bearing and the loose clutch member.

3. The combination of the shaft, the clutch member rigid with the shaft, the cooperating loose clutch member concentric with the shaft but free to slide and turn thereon, the pillowblock having a screw-thread cut therein, the journal-bearing for the shaft having a screwthread meshing with the thread cut in the pillow-block in which the journal-bearing is mounted, means for rotating said journalbearin g consisting of a sprocket-wheel rigidly fixed to the journal-bearing, and a sprocketchain engaging therewith,and means whereby its movement along the line of the axis of the shaft produced by such rotation is trans mitted to the loose clutch member.

4. The combination of the shaft, the clutch member rigid With'the shaft, the cooperating loose clutch member concentric with the shaft but free to slide and turn thereon, the pillowblock having a screw-thread cut therein, the journal-bearing for the shaft having a screwthread meshing with the thread cut in the pillow-block in which the journal-bearing is mounted, means for rotating said journalbearing and means whereby its movement along the line of the axis of the shaft produced by such rotation is transmitted to the loose clutch member, together with the end-thrust ball-bearings for the shaft.

5. The combination of the shaft,clutch members rigid with the shaft and having conefaces of opposite inclination, two loose clutch members cooperating with the rigid members, concentric with the shaft, but free to slide and turn thereon, pillow-blocks having screwthreads cut therein, journal-bearings for the shaft mounted in said pillow-blocks and having screw-threads meshingwith the pillow blocks, means for rotating said journal-bear= ings, and means whereby the motion along.

members cooperating with the rigid members,

concentric with the shaft but free to slide and turn thereon, pillo WrblOCkS having screw= threads cut therein, journal-bearings for the shaft mounted in said pillow-blocks and having screw-threads meshing with the pillowblocks, means for rotating said journal-bearings and means whereby the motion along the axis of the shaft so created is transmitted to the two loose clutch members so that as one is thrown into engagement the other is auto matically released from engagement, together with the train of gearing conveying motion from one loose clutch member to the other.

Signed by me at New York, N. Y., this 27th day of November, 1899.

CHARLES DAVID PAIGE GIBSON. WVitnesses:

W. H. PUMPHREY, ROBERT GERBRAOHT, Jr. 

